Georgia and Georgia Tech’s baseball teams met on a chilly Tuesday night for the second game of their season series.
If both teams can continue their recent level of play, they’ll likely extend their seasons through more favorable weather.
If the season had been over before Tuesday’s game at Russ Chandler Stadium, both the Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs would make the NCAA tournament as at-large teams, according to Boyd Nation, operator of the website Boyd’s World, which tracks baseball RPI.
Entering the game, Tech was 23-14 (10-8 ACC) and Georgia was 21-14-1 (7-7-1 SEC). With strong RPI ratings — No. 35 for Tech and No. 41 for UGA — and conference records of .500 or better, Nation called the two teams locks at this point. He added that neither would likely even need to go .500 over the rest of the season to make the tournament field.
It would be a considerable achievement for both teams. Georgia was 21-32 last season and replaced coach David Perno with Scott Stricklin, but has matched its win total with its win over Tennessee on Saturday. Tech brought in 14 freshmen this season after losing two All-Americans and four All-ACC players. Five of the freshmen have taken 38 percent of the Jackets’ at-bats in ACC play, led by outfielder Keenan Innis (.286 batting average) and shortstop Connor Justus (.280). Still, Tech is 6-3 against ranked teams, including its series win over Florida State this past weekend.
Georgia last made the NCAA tournament in 2011. Tech has made 18 tournaments in coach Danny Hall’s first 20 seasons.
The route to the end of the regular season for both teams will be treacherous, however, particularly for the Bulldogs. Georgia’s final five SEC series will be against Florida (No. 1 in RPI), Vanderbilt (No. 14), South Carolina (No. 2), Ole Miss (No. 5) and Kentucky (No. 15). Comparatively speaking, Tech has a joyride. The Jackets close ACC play with Maryland (No. 22), N.C. State (No. 44), Virginia Tech (No. 106) and Virginia (No. 8).
Tuesday night’s game began under clear skies accompanied by unseasonably cold weather. The temperature at first pitch was 45 degrees, with gusting winds. When the schools’ football teams met in November, game-time temperature was a comparatively balmy 55 degrees.
Winter coats and blankets were the rule for the evening. Georgia’s reserves bundled in thick coats, some even taking the step of wearing winter gloves.
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